How would you deal with America’s teacher shortage?

"In my opinion, it comes down to state funding. Schools aren't funded properly, so teachers deal with low pay, no substitutes, limited supplies, and decrepitated buildings. Schools don't control how much money they have to spend- it is controlled by the state. The states need to make some hard decisions about cutting funding from social programs and begin to funnel the much needed money into the schools. The problem is not: 'there is no money to fund schools.' The problem is: 'the states are spending the money in the wrong places.'"

• "A number of strategies are being implemented in many states, including increased pay and loan forgiveness (since college tuition is unaffordable these days). Other states are creating grow your own teacher pipelines and tapping into paraprofessionals to get their teaching license. However, all of these strategies won’t stick if we can’t retain teachers once hired. To do this, we need investments in teacher mentoring and induction. We need better mental health support for students and parent involvement and support for teachers. We need districts to invest and pay attention to school culture and how to make schools places that staff want to work and students want to learn. And we need to take public education out of the culture wars. Politicians need to campaign on their record for governing and not create propaganda out of schools for the purpose of political gain."

"Increase teacher pay to make it worth teacher's while to stay in the career, taxing higher income households at 1960 levels and eliminating voucher programs that pull federal education dollars to private schools. Make any supplies that teachers provide fully tax deductible for teachers."

• "Pay teachers appropriately. The number of hours good teachers spend outside of the school day working are never considered . Without teachers, all other professions will eventually suffer. Good teachers are the bedrock of success for all other professions. Paying teachers appropriately helps improve all of our future successes ."

"Increase pay, increase support. Teachers are leaving for job that’s that pay 2x as much and required 1/2 as much effort. In many cases, teachers salaries barely equal minimum wage. It’s not sustainable to live on this salary. I’ve been teaching for 11 years and have had a second job for almost all 11 years."

• "State level education policies and licensure needs a major overhaul. Start looking at the requirements and excessive fees for these young college students. Many college students student teach for one semester and as a teacher intern receive no pay. Give these students a stipend or tuition waver like other business related interns. Check out the requirements for licensure and the state mandates which cost school districts lots of money. Get rid of Pearson's involvement with EdTPA and the crazy fees they charge for this certification. Is the EdTPA on top of student teaching necessary? I emphatically say no! Seems like this process is more about the monetary profits for the Pearson conglomerate. Certainly we can point to the pay and the need for higher salary, but we don't see that changing anytime soon."

"Better pay number one! But they also need better resources to help with everything on their plates. They are expected to tailor their approach to ensure every child is given the attention and opportunity they need. We need more assistants in the classroom to ensure that is done. We also need support from the top (administration) in dealing with parents. I hear more complaints of burnout coming from dealing with the parents, not the kids. Also, clear guidelines and reviews at the beginning of the year so teachers know what subjects are off limits. Enhanced safety measures to protect against intruders. You can pay them more, but the problems will all still be there. At the end of the day they need the support from assistants and administration."

• "The entire mindset behind the education system needs to change. The language and rhetoric surrounding the teaching profession has become increasingly negative. Teachers are undervalued, education as a whole seems to be undervalued in our nation. In order to keep teachers in the profession they need to be shown the respect they deserve--a key aspect of that statement being that we need to strive to KEEP teachers in the profession. Quality, knowledgeable teachers are leaving the profession because they are burnt out from the never ending barrage of lesson planning and grading and maintaining a positive classroom environment and supplying that classroom environment and managing student behavior and documenting whatever needs documented. It's tiring and their support structure is lacking. So how would I deal with America's teacher shortage? Provide them with the support they need mentally, physically, and financially. In order to do that the country's mindset on education needs to change, and we need to stop making cuts to the education budget. We should want a country full of well educated students who can lead posterity through whatever may be thrown at them. That means ensuring they have a well-rounded understanding of history. That means ensuring they know how to analyze texts. That means ensuring they know how to think critically about information they are given and ask questions. That means ensuring they know how to solve problems of all types (whether mathematically or ethically or technologically)."

"Provide a large portion of funding to charter schools, who provide all the public benefits of "free" education, but don't have the same restrictions on how to run the schools. Give individual schools, teachers, and administrators more control over how to best serve their specific community. Put more adults in the classroom, such as extra teaching assistants who can help manage student behavior, prepare materials, grade and organize student work, and tidy up the physical environment. Teachers will feel more empowered and dedicated to their jobs if they have control over their classrooms and curriculum, if they're paid fairly, and if they have adequate assistance with managing their classroom and students."